SMITHFIELD, Va. — A nearly century-old schoolhouse that was constructed to teach Black students during the Jim Crow era of segregation in Isle of Wight County was commemorated this weekend.
The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) unveiled the Christian Home School's historical marker on Sunday afternoon. It will be placed at the Schoolhouse Museum in Smithfield.
Like many schoolhouses for Black students during this time, the Christian Home School was built near a church, in this case the Christian Home Baptist Church. Construction for the 1920s building was funded by the Black community, Isle of Wight County, Sears, Roebuck and Company President Julius Rosenwald.
In 1932, the schoolhouse received an addition that was eventually moved in 2005 and opened as the Schoolhouse Museum in 2007.
"The mission of the Schoolhouse Museum is to preserve, conserve and interpret the history of education in Isle of Wight, Virginia. This one-room structure, while focusing on the education of black children in the early 20th century in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, also honors the legacy of individuals who contributed to the education of these children," according to the museum's website.
With the help of Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee Institute, Rosenwald funded the construction of more than 5,000 schools in the south during the time.
"DHR creates markers not to 'honor' their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance," the state's release reads.